


Hel

by Llewcie



Category: Ella Enchanted (2004), Hannibal Extended Universe - Fandom, Valhalla Rising
Genre: A bit of Magic, Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Hannibal Extended Universe, Intercrural Sex, M/M, Maybe an old god or two, Modern AU, Road Trips, Strangers to Lovers, Traveling, double barrel, hostels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 14:56:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8165869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Llewcie/pseuds/Llewcie
Summary: On a road trip to find something he has been missing, Char's car breaks down and leaves him in a quiet suburb of Chicago, with only a seedy hostel and a strange little pub open late at night.  Forgoing soiled mattresses for a late drink, he encounters a bartender who doesn't speak but pours a mean pint of mead.  Its a better place to lay his head than he thought he would get.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Hannibal Cre-Ate-Ive's #RudeTrip Challenge. And to all my fellow travelers in the next few weeks-- may you find delightful secrets! I'm grateful for @Thymogenic and her blessed ability to beta on the fly. Thank you!

Char stood at the threshold of the Amsterdam Residential Hostel on Lincoln Street, breathing in the smell of old urine with every carefully shallow breath. The unkempt brownstone was deep in a residential neighborhood, the only place to sleep within easy walking distance from the auto shop where he had left his lovely sky blue 1965 Corvette Coupe, after listening with admirable patience (he thought) as he was told exactly how much he should not be trying to drive cross country in its pristine leather seats. But Char wasn’t one to believe in beauty without function. The car would be fixed in a few days, and he could pass beyond Chicago and on to greater things, whatever those might be. With every moment he stood ruminating on the stoop, tiredly aware that his only other option was to navigate the elevated trains in search of a better place to stay the night, he grew less and less enthusiastic about sleeping. 

With a moderately enthusiastic sigh on the benefits of adventure, he turned and walked down the tree-lined avenue in search of somewhere he could while away a few more hours. After strolling for a few aimless minutes, a bright flash of light caught his eye. Below street level there was a small glowing blue sign that read 'Hel.' He squinted at it to make certain that one of the l's wasn’t missing. Hel seemed to be open, too. With a mental shrug, he trotted down the stairs and pushed open the door.

Inside was all warm red brick and golden wood floors, less a modern interpretation and more something that felt… old. Not that it was dingy-- it was immaculate, in fact-- the floors glowed under the gentle light and the brass fittings gleamed around the bar. A beautiful array of bottles were stacked colorfully in front of the bar mirror, and a man's broad back was to him, a softly worn brown t-shirt stretched over heavy, well-developed muscle, and his bronze and silver hair tied back in a simple knot. Char guessed he must be the bouncer. He approached the bar and took a stool, easing his tired body into the soft leather cushion. A young man with long bright gold hair came out of the back and startled at the sight of him, and then nudged the bouncer. Char looked around and realized he was the only person in the bar.

"I'm sorry; I assumed you were open?" He began to get up, radiating reluctance, and the blonde man stepped closer. He was exquisitely lovely-- his long hair looked like spun gold, and his skin was fine and clear, with rosy cheeks. Closer up, he was even younger than Char had thought-- he could hardly be old enough to serve alcohol. 

"We are, sir." His voice was soft, and flavored with something northern European. That made sense-- maybe this was an import business from Sweden. He nudged the bouncer again. A sigh lifted and lowered the man's considerable shoulders, and he turned slowly to face Char. Char smiled at him, and his smile didn't falter a millimeter as the man turned enough to expose a badly damaged eye socket where his left eye used to be. His right eye was a beautiful, clear brown, and he was shockingly handsome, despite the damage. Perhaps because of it. Char realized that he was staring, which was the opposite of his intention, and he smiled, a little dazed. 

"What's the house special?"

The man studied him for a moment, and then lifted a clean glass from a stack and opened the tap in front of him. A rich wash of spiced honey scented the air. He set the glass in front of Char and lifted his eyebrows, as if to say, you asked for it. Char grinned. "My name is Char. Charmont." He blushed, feeling strangely exposed in this tiny little basement bar. "May I ask your name?" 

The man lifted an eyebrow and pursed his mouth thoughtfully, and then turned back around without answering. The young blonde tossed his head and grinned at Char. "We call him One Eye."

Char blushed again, in chagrin this time. "What?"

The blonde raised both eyebrows, innocently. "Well, he's only got the one eye." He nudged the larger man, and then vanished rather quickly through the kitchen swing doors, leaving Char and One Eye alone. 

Char swallowed. "Are… are you alright with that name?"

One Eye turned back around to him, his right eye piercing, perhaps looking for ridicule. Char kept himself perfectly relaxed, his expression soft. Eventually, the man shrugged and nodded, and he seemed to mean it. His body was half turned, and now that Char was seated with a drink in his hand, he indulged himself in looking the man over. Long curls of blue tattoos swirled over his upper arms, and Char couldn't help but wonder how far up… or down they went. He swallowed around a suddenly dry throat and took a hurried drink, nearly spilling it down his shirtfront when the potency of it hit him. "Mead!" he gasped out, and One Eye gave him an amused glance before turning back around to continue cleaning the bottles.

In the soft silence, punctuated only by the clinking of bottles against each other, Char began to unwind. He drank the entire mead in less than five minutes, and tapped the glass on the bar. "Please, another?" He grinned as One Eye turned around, wanting the man's gaze on him. "It's delicious. Do you brew it here?"

One Eye blinked at him, and then nodded, gesturing to the door that the young man had gone through. Char beamed. "It’s like drinking sunlight." Alright, so maybe he was a little more affected by the drink than he had first thought. He felt sleepy but no longer stressed. The urine-stinking halls of his eventual sleeping place didn’t even phase him now. One Eye filled a clean glass for him, and set it down in front of him, but when Char reached for it, One Eye touched his hand. His fingers were heavily calloused, and warm. Char gazed up at him, and their gaze locked for a heady moment. Char thought perhaps he wouldn't have to sleep in the urine-stained halls after all, if he was very lucky. Then One Eye turned and went through into the back, leaving Char alone. In a moment, he returned with a steaming loaf of bread and butter on a heavy wooden platter and set it in front of Char. It smelled heavenly, rich and brown. Char gazed at it for a moment. "Do I look underfed?"

One Eye gave him another tiny amused smile, his eye sparkling in the low light. Char, encouraged, broke a piece of bread and dipped it in the butter. It melted on his tongue, and he groaned with delight as his stomach came roaring to life. The next few minutes were spent in devouring half the loaf, washed down with the excellent mead, and One Eye watched him contentedly from behind the bar.

"I'm not from here, you know," Char offered. One Eye tilted his head in encouragement, listening. "I'm traveling." He shrugged self-consciously. "I don’t really have a destination. Im… looking for something." The other raised an eyebrow, curious. Char shook his head. "I don't know what it is yet. I'm just looking. But my car broke down here, so maybe I found it." He blushed again at his presumption, and looked down at the bar. A gentle finger tucked under his chin and lifted up his eyes to meet One Eye's, and there was such a look there, of open curiosity, and approval, that Char squirmed in his chair, flustered. "I'm staying next door." One Eye's face crumpled in a tiny moue of disgust, and Char laughed. "Yeah, I know. It smells like urine. I am going to have to delouse myself tomorrow. But." He nodded to himself. "It's alright. I found… this place." He prevented himself from going any further. Found you, he wanted to say, but it was far too forward, even from him. One Eye dropped his hand, still with that soft look on his face, and Char thought perhaps he had heard his unsaid thoughts.

For another hour, One Eye filled his glass and shared bread with him, and Char spoke of his family, and his urge to wander before he was absorbed into his father's company in the multinational shipping industry. Until slowly, Char lost track of what he was saying, under the weight of the mead and the good bread and the gentle silence of his companion, and at some point, his head sank to the bar, and he slept.

***

A touch to his shoulder roused him, and he started, mortified, as his cheek came away wet with drool from the bar. One Eye smirked at him. The young blonde was back, shrugging on his coat. He was staring at One Eye with some concern, and they seemed to have a silent conversation as Char struggled back to consciousness. Finally, the young man shrugged, and turned to Char. "He would like to walk you back to the hostel. The neighborhood isn't safe at night." And then he flipped out the bar lights, and walked out the front door without another word, but a last look over his shoulder at the bartender. Char was filled with a strange unease now, truly alone with the big man, but One Eye looked at him with both amusement and concern, and Char nodded. For better or worse, this was his adventure. He slipped carefully off the stool, lightheaded but not hungover, his belly pleasantly full. A napkin was presented to him, and he laughed ruefully as he wiped his cheek and the counter.

"I guess I'm more tired than I thought. Sorry for drooling on your bar." One Eye shrugged, and came out from behind the bar. He was taller than Char, but not by much, and far broader. He was wearing soft-looking dark brown pants and leather shoes, and Char was only half-prepared for the swirl of desire that hugged his belly. He followed obediently as One Eye walked out, flipping off the lights, and opening the door to usher Char out. Char stopped him with a hand on his arm, and One Eye jumped, very slightly. Char realized that he had touched him on his blind side. "I'm… I'm sorry. What do I owe you?" But One Eye just tilted his head, shook it slightly, and locked the door behind them. They walked up the stairs to street level, and beside each other they made their way back to the hostel. The night was perfectly quiet, almost surreal in the large city, and Char wondered what time it could possibly be. As they walked, their shoulder's nudged together, and again he was filled with a quiet desire, but he didn't know how to ask. Were the younger man and One Eye lovers? He decided not to presume, and they walked in silence to the doors of the hostel.

One Eye opened the door for him, and then followed him inside. Char's heart thudded in his chest. But One Eye simply smiled at him, and turned down a hallway in the opposite direction of Char's bed. Char watched him go, until he reached a door at the end of the hall, and then turned to meet Char's eyes. Flustered, Char uttered a shy good night, and One Eye looked at him a moment and then went into his room and closed the door. It locked with a click. Char was alone, and uncertain, and a bit more turned on than he had any right to be. He sighed and headed to his dorm, hoping to get at least a few hours of sleep.

After he washed and brushed his teeth in the tiny, unpleasant bathroom, touching as few surfaces as he could possibly manage, exhaustion fell over him. But as soon as he entered the dorm, he despaired of sleep. A dozen people were there before him, and the bed he had rented had someone's luggage on it. Scowling, he went to the bed and shifted it off. He lay on his bag and settled his head against the pillow warily, sighing as his body relaxed into the soft mattress. He might have dozed off, but woke uneasily amidst the snoring and chatter of the other occupants. Frustrated, he turned over and put his hands over his ears, but the sound permeated his consciousness until he stared at the ceiling in despair. Without thinking too much about it, he crawled out of bed, and left the dorm to walk to the door that One Eye had disappeared behind. With his last bit of exhausted bravado, he knocked.

A long moment passed without sound. He was thinking of turning around to go back to the auto service to sleep in his cramped Corvette when the door clicked and unlocked, and opened. One Eye was standing rumpled in the doorway, shirtless and barefoot. Char stared at the blue tattoos that swirled over his broad, powerful chest. They most definitely plunged down below his waistband. He swallowed. "May I sleep here? I'll pay for a bit of your floor." One Eye contemplated him for a long moment, and then stepped aside to let him in.

The stench of the hallway vanished as soon as he was over the threshold. He looked around in wonder, tiredness momentarily forgotten. The room was small, with a mattress tucked in the corner on the floor under a shuttered window. A small bed lamp was lit, casting a heavy leather-bound book in a bright circle of yellow light. And all around the edges of the room were bookshelves, stuffed full of books. The smell of parchment and dust washed over him, and he wandered closer to the bookshelf next to the door. Hundreds of books, their titles stamped in gold and red and inked in black. As he peered closer, he realised that he didn’t recognise all of the languages. French, German, and English mingled with scripts he could not read. He turned back to One Eye in awe. "You can read all of these?" One Eye nodded at him, amused. Char looked on him in wonder. "Who are you?"

One Eye tilted his head curiously, and then reached up to stroke Char's cheek with a gentle hand. Char leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. He exhaled softly, an 'oh' on his lips, and it was a simple matter from there, to lean his body in and press his mouth against that beautiful mouth with a sigh. His belly exploded with heat as the seam of One Eye's mouth split to let him lick inside. One Eye's powerful hands gripped his curls, and then a hand slipped under his ass and lifted him right off the floor. Char groaned in delight, sinking into the kiss as he sank in the embrace, his arms and legs both coming around to clasp behind that muscled back. One Eye's hips were narrow enough that Char could easily lock his ankles, and for a moment he hung there, suspended, his mouth open and soft as their tongues dragged against each other. And then One Eye turned them both and settled Char easily on the bed, climbing down on top of him and pressing their bodies together. They kissed luxuriously, wet and hot and urgent, and Char's hands dragged down One Eye's back to sink below the waist of his pants. Before going further, he pulled back, looking carefully into One Eye's face. 

"Is this alright? Do you want sex with me?" His heart thudded at the prospect of the man saying no, but he had to ask. One Eye met his gaze with a gentle wonder, and nodded firmly. His eyebrow lifted in question. Char thought he could guess what the question was. "I want you inside me, but not tonight." One Eye glowed at the statement, and Char hoped it meant that he was amenable to doing this again. He swallowed. "I've been fantasizing about your hands all night." One Eye grinned at him, his sharp teeth gleaming in the half-light, and Char had never seen anything so beautiful. He smiled back, giddy with desire and fondness, the thrill of wanting and being wanted in return. He shoved his hands down the back of One Eye's trousers and palmed his muscular ass. "And this," he added, cheekily. One Eye snorted, and straightened his legs to allow Char to shove his pants past his hips. One Eye shirked them off speedily and tugged at Char's fly. In a moment they were both naked, and each stared at the other, drinking in each other's bodies. Char was enraptured to see the tattoos swirled over his ass and thighs. One Eye fell to kiss him again, and Char groaned in reply, shoving his hips gently upwards into One Eye's impressive erection.

They rocked together, kissing and stroking each other's skin, small moans from the silent man lighting Char up until he was helpless with it, losing his mind with the burning arousal that throbbed in his cock as it hammered in his heart. With a shift to rebalance, One Eye took them both in hand and squeezed, to Char's utter delight. He bit down on One Eye's shoulder, his lips rubbing over the rough raised edges of the scars that outlined his tattoos. His hands were in the other man's hair, unknotting the thick silken weight of it so that it hung down over his face. They groaned in tandem, One Eye sounding more animal than human, and Char thrust up into his hand, lust and pleasure and satisfaction corkscrewing the base of his spine tighter and tighter. One Eye panted into his mouth, and then into his hair, biting and licking down the side of his neck, his mouth settling over a pounding artery to suck a heavy bruise into his skin. Char pressed into him, greedily wanting to be marked, his voice pitching higher and higher until, with a final squeeze, he came with a howl, spurting over One Eye's hand and his own belly. Breathless, he was pliant as One Eye brought up his thighs and pressed them together, forcing his heavy cock into the seam, wet with Char's thick spend, and thrust inwards at a frantic pace, as Char held his thighs together and reeled in his orgasmic haze.

One Eye's hips began to stutter, and then, with a tremendous roar, he spilled over the head of Char's cock, his belly and his hips, warm and wet and intensely satisfying. In a daze, Char felt the building shake, and distantly the sound of car alarms pierced their sanctuary. He laughed with pleasure, dragging down One Eye's heavy body to land on top of him, welcoming the hot, heaving, sweaty weight of him, thoroughly blissed. One Eye stroked through his hair, and kissed him, against his jaw and his ear and his eyes, until they sank into sleep entwined with each other.

Char woke to the sun beaming in through the window, which had been opened at some point. He grinned and stretched luxuriously, dried come on his skin pulling at his pubic and belly hairs, and flopped over on his back. He gazed up at One Eye, who was sitting up in bed with a book in his lap, still naked, his eye light and a soft smile on his face. "Morning." Char smiled back. "It’s so good to see that you are still here." One Eye tilted his head, mildly chastising, as if to say, where else would I be? Char laughed, and rubbed at his belly, feeling wonderful. He sat up in bed and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on One Eye's sculptured cheekbone, but the man turned into him and they kissed, long and slow and languorous, as if neither had anywhere else to be. 

At that moment, Char's phone went off in his jeans pocket. He reached for his jeans, tugging them towards him without breaking the kiss, until he could fumble the phone out of his pocket. "Hello?" he answered, as One Eye kissed across his shoulder. "Mm. Already?" Char sank his body against the other man's rubbing his cheek against his shoulder. "Alright. I'll be by to pick it up. Thank you." He sighed, straightened, and dropped the phone to the bed. One Eye tilted his head in question.

"My car is fixed," he sighed. "And they need me to move it because there was some sort of localized earthquake, and people are bringing their cars in for dent and window repair." He flopped gently into One Eye's lap, careful of the book. "I was hoping it would take them longer," he admitted with not inconsiderable regret. One Eye stroked Char's hair from his face, and Char watched him, golden in the soft light, and swallowed. "Come with me."

One Eye raised his brow, his gaze soft, and did not stop stroking Char's forehead. It was soothing. Char repeated, with a little more assurance, "Come with me. I have been looking for something, and I've found you, and I find that while I’m not ready to stop traveling, I don’t want to leave you." The older man glanced around his cozy room, at all his books, and his gaze became something far off, considering. Finally, when Char began to be afraid that he was the only one who felt this wonderful potential between them, he gazed back down. The shadows of his ravaged eye were severe, cutting across his brow, and Char wondered if he would ever know what had happened. He just knew if he left, they would never see each other again. This certainty was bone deep. He sighed, and made to get up, but One Eye held him gently in place. He looked at Char for a long time, and Char felt like he was being seen, wholly, and it frightened and exhilarated him. One Eye blinked, and then nodded.

"You will?" 

The man nodded, decisively. Char beamed at him, joy filling his insides like liquid gold. "Good," he whispered. "We will go together, then."

 

Epilogue:

They lounged in bed, reluctant to untangle from each other, until the car shop called again, and Char was forced to crawl out of bed. They helped each other dress, Char sighing in regret as the golden skin and heavy cock of the other was covered up again. One Eye gave him a small grin in return, and a kiss that promised many many good things. 

After they had rescued Char's car, having walked through the damage of the localized earthquake, they navigated through the streets full of damaged cars and minor debris to the little pub where they had met. In the light it was so completely hidden from the street that Char wondered how they did any business at all. One Eye just smiled at him and kept the mystery to himself. The door was already unlocked, and the young man from the night before was sitting at a low table, eating a basket of french fries for breakfast. He scowled thunderously at One Eye. "I hope you are pleased with yourself," he muttered darkly, and One Eye just eyed him as he passed by to the back. Awkwardly, Char sat at the table with him, knowing for certain that the young man knew exactly where that massive love bite on his neck came from, and was judging him for it.

"So he's going with you?"

Char startled. "Yeah… how did you…?"

The golden haired boy glared at him with a thousand year stare, and suddenly Char was teetering at the precipice of worlds. He clutched at the edge of the table as if it would prevent him from falling into the abyss. All of that and the young man's expression had not changed. "Take care of him," he said, casually, like Char's heart wasn’t ready to beat out of his chest. "And don't try to get him to talk. Or write," he said darkly. "Things happen when he puts a voice to his thoughts. Things that this world isn't ready for, and may never be."

Char swallowed his nausea in the face of this ridiculous accusation. "He can speak?"

"He can." The young man nodded. "He should not." He stood, and suddenly seemed very tall. "I don't like this. But he won't listen to me." He tilted his head, considering, in an eerie mirror of One Eye. "Perhaps he will listen to you." With that, he turned and walked away, towards the swinging door, only to meet One Eye coming the other way, looking amused again. The young man leaned close to him. He whispered, but his voice still carried to Char's ears in the deep silence of the darkened pub. "Father. Be careful." One Eye smiled at him, and kissed his forehead, and the young man seemed mollified. He cast a final dark glare at Char and then he was gone.

One Eye rolled his eye and shook his head, and then turned to Char, his gaze softened. He had a leather bag slung over one shoulder. He spread his arms, as if to say, I am ready. Char shook of the strangeness of the moment before and went to him, sinking into his arms and kissing his mouth. "Ready?"

One Eye nodded. They walked out together. One Eye didn't bother locking it. When Char turned his head to look, the door was gone, as if it had never been.


End file.
